Let’s school all these bourgeoise Fani-Kayodes

It is no longer news that a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, shamelessly and reprehensibly insulted a reporter of one of the foremost national dailies in Nigeria - Daily Trust, Eyo Charles, during a press roundtable in Calabar, Cross River State, in response to a question from the journalist seeking clarification on the sponsor of his widely publicised tour of the country, which the responder (Fani-Kayode) considered ‘disrespectful’.

The action of FFK, as FaniKayode is fondly called, has since been greeted with condemnation by the Nigeria Union of Journalists and indeed media practitioners across the country. Fani-Kayode had also threatened to report Eyo to the Daily Trust publisher.

Aside from been the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the National Chairman of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Tom Ikimi, as far back as 1990, FaniKayode was also Minister for Culture and Tourism and later Aviation. He also served as a campaign spokesperson for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign in 2015.

However, those who have followed Fani-Kayode keenly would never be surprised at his recent outburst against a journalist, considering his penchant for brakeless and incautious utterances. In fact, post-2015 elections, stalwarts of the PDP admitted it was a grievous error making him the party’s campaign spokesperson as his unguarded approaches resulted in negativity for the party.

Fani-Kayode’s shameless exhibition was never a surprise. While I will not bother myself condemning the known brakeless mouth, I will rather speak to the Fani-Kayodes in other politicians and some of their aides, especially those manning the media. Many of them are not different from Fani-Kayode but because their lids are yet to be blown off, they may overtly or covertly condemn Fani-Kayode for doing what they have taken as a daily preoccupation.

The media is not just a platform that reports events as they were told, but as they discover them, through personal interviews, open or discreet investigations, content analysis and eyewitness accounts among others.

This is the more reason why the media is regarded as societal watchdog, as the professionally grounded ones will never settle for the ‘things said’, but fact-check to ensure they’re in consonance with ‘things done’ and more importantly, things expected to be done by the electorate who’re undoubtedly the king in democracy.

However, in the present realm, we have seen journalists appointed as political aides who attack their fellows for inquiring or reporting events considered inimical to the public image of the government they serve, without recourse to the veracity of the report. All that matters to them is their personal interest and not that of the public who deserves to know the good, bad and the ugly happenings, to properly shape opinions and guide progressive decision making.

Many of these politicians and their aides have laid siege on journalists, using their fellow journalists in their desperate attempts to bury facts. Probably because most of these conspiracies work electronically, it doesn’t attract attention but now that Fani-Kayode demonstrated what most of these politicians and their media handlers do covertly to journalists, everyone is making noise.

I am hopeful that the leadership of the NUJ and indeed, journalists (both politically appointed or not) across Nigeria do not recant their roles of inspiring the truth, and collectively resist any attempt to gauge the press in any form possible and by whoever. It is then that we will have a society where free press thrives and where journalists will not be afraid to inquire or report the truth, no matter how bitter.

By the act of Fani-Kayode and other politicians and media handlers who resort to insulting and attacking journalists when questions they deem unfavourable are asked, I conclude that their response affirms their guilt as far as that subject is concerned and only needed to save their shameful faces by attempting to embarrass the journalist, not knowing they are only embarrassing themselves.

We should all know that inquiring, inspiring and saying/reporting the truth is divine as ordained by God. He warned us never to conceal the truth and say it always, no matter how bitter.

Now, shall we tell them they’re nothing but servants of the masses? Shall we tell them the master are the electorate and never the politicians, shall we remind them that they aren’t doing a favour to us by holding public offices and shan’t we remind them that they’re no better than those they are supposed to be representing.

Akogun, an investigative journalist, writes from Ilorin shoboiakogun@gmail.com